Carbon intensity of energy in Zambia
Zambia: Carbon intensity of energy was 236.27 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▲ Rising
Carbon intensity of energy in Zambia, 1980–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 236.27 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour for carbon intensity of energy in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity of energy in Zambia peaked at 273.2 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2022 and was at its lowest, 122.12 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, in 2006.
That places Zambia 61st out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 164.51 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 150.32 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 182.66 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 146.92 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 128.83 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 158.16 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 132.27 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 122.12 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 161.85 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 195.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 155.74 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 243.5 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 245.52 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 226.43 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 273.2 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 58 Jamaica 236.65 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 59 Ecuador 236.65 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 60 Dominican Republic 236.61 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 62 Burundi 234.44 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 63 South Sudan 232.27 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 64 Cyprus 231.52 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Zambia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.6% (2100)
- Population growth 2.8% (2025)
- Population, total 21.91 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Urban population 10.06 million (2025)
- Urban population 45.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 300.84 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity of energy in Zambia?
- Carbon intensity of energy in Zambia was 236.27 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 273.2 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2022.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 122.12 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2006.
- How does Zambia rank for carbon intensity of energy?
- Zambia ranks 61st out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per unit of total energy supply, measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.